


Coda

by janey_p



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Crack, Crack Relationships, Episode: S03E01 Coda, Episode: S03E02 Coda, F/M, Favors, Feelings Realization, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Introspection, M/M, Mild Angst, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Spoilers, Worried Magnum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27919912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janey_p/pseuds/janey_p
Summary: Follow-ups to season 3 episodes. No idea how many there will be in the end. It all depends on how much the upcoming episodes manage to inspire me. ;)First two chapters are for episode 1.
Relationships: Juliet Higgins & Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, Juliet Higgins/Theodore "T.C." Calvin, Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright/Gordon Katsumoto, Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV & Jin (Magnum P.I. TV 2018)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 62





	1. Episode 1 - Take 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ummm... so...  
> I had planned to take a break from writing in December. What the hell is happening??? Who can I blame for this? XD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little story about Magnum _maybe_ being a little overprotective.

“Soooooo…”

Gordon almost got up to leave the little diner when Magnum suddenly sat down at his table. Whatever Magnum wanted was likely to disrupt his lunch break, after all. But he had already placed his order, and he _was_ hungry. No way would he go back to work like that.

“What do you want?” he asked, sounding as uninviting as possible. Maybe Magnum would take the hint.

“A favor?”

Apparently not. And what a bold thing to ask, considering the circumstances.

“Another one? So soon after the ones you asked just a few days ago?”

“Well, I _could_ try finding the info I need without your help, but then it’s more than likely that Higgy will find out.”

“And you don’t want her to,” Gordon stated. Thomas’s answering wince spoke volumes. “Why?”

“She’d hate it.”

“Why do you think asking _me_ is so much better, then?”

“Because—” Magnum paused when Gordon’s order arrived, keeping his eyes on the server until he was out of earshot again, before continuing. “ _Because_ if whatever you find is bad and it’s you who tells her, she might take it better.”

“What kind of information do you want, then?” Gordon asked, curious despite himself, now.

“Background info on her doctor.”

Gordon almost lost his grip on his fork. That was absolutely not what he’d been expecting.

“Whatever for?”

“You weren’t there when she introduced us to him. They were making eyes at each other. And, by now, they have a tentative plan for a date.” Magnum’s face was doing something complicated that Gordon couldn’t help but wonder about.

“Are you hoping to find dirt on him because you’re jealous?”

“What? No!”

Hmmm, that sounded and looked genuine. So either it was true, or Magnum was in very deep denial. Time would tell, Gordon supposed.

“It’s just…” Magnum continued, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “She _is_ important to me. But she was acting out of character, back there. And I’m pretty sure it was due to the painkillers she was on. I’m worried she might have misjudged his… intentions. Sounded somewhat sketchy to me, anyway, that he’d just go for it like that. I’d have expected more professionalism.”

“Well, sometimes, things like that just happen. Why should they deny themselves if something good comes their way? Might be unprofessional, I’ll give you that. But it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s easy for all his patients.”

“Maybe not. But I’d like to be sure. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

And that, right there, did sound like real worry for her well-being. It wasn’t that farfetched either, as Magnum had taken her getting shot pretty hard. So he likely didn’t have ulterior motives for his request, the way Gordon had thought he might. That realization was what decided it for him.

“All right, I’ll look him up for you.”

Magnum’s relief was plainly visible in his growing smile.

_“Thank you!”_

“Will you let it rest, though, if I find out he’s a decent guy?”

“Of course!” Magnum said indignantly. “She deserves to be happy. It’s up to her to decide if a guy with insane working hours will be up to that task. Might even be right up her alley, considering the kind of people she surrounds herself with.”

Hmmm, maybe Gordon had been unfairly hard on him, expecting him to be petty. And maybe he had misjudged the looks he sometimes saw Magnum direct at Higgins. Magnum wasn’t really the type for casual acquaintances anyway. If he considered Higgins a close friend—and it looked like he did—that could explain his behavior around her. Again, probably something that time would tell.

“Okay then,” he said. “If that’s all, may I finish my lunch break in peace?”

“You throwing me out?”

“You didn’t order anything, so you have no reason to be here anymore.”

“Hm, good point,” Magnum agreed, getting up. “You’ll call?”

“Yes, I’ll call,” Gordon rolled his eyes. He may have sympathy for the guy, but he was still trying his patience. “Might take a little while, though. I’ve got a few other things to take care of first. Actual police work, you know?”

That didn’t seem to faze Magnum, though.

“Okay, that’s fair.” And then, a little quieter, but heartfelt, “thanks again. I mean it.”

Gordon believed him. As he watched Magnum leave, he had to admit to himself that this level of loyalty to a friend was kind of rare these days. Must be nice to be on the receiving end of that. Although… Maybe Higgins would disagree if she learned what exactly that meant in her case, at least at first. Especially if Gordon found out that Magnum’s worry was unfounded.

So, for Higgins’s sake, he hoped he’d find nothing. And for Magnum’s sake, he hoped Higgins would never find out there was a check in the first place.

Gordon dug into what was left of his lunch. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.


	2. Episode 1 - Take 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Rick’s “you’re a prince among men” to Gordon and T.C.’s “love you” to Juliet. Not to be taken too seriously! ;)  
> (I mean it! I know that what I’ve done here is extremely silly. :D)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who might not share my sense of humor: I’m fully aware that the show is laying the groundwork for Miggy as the endgame. It was pretty obvious in that car scene towards the end of the episode.  
> But my inner rebel is strong, and I’m weak… So it really only takes the barest hint of potential for something different, for me to grab it and run with it. It’s a highly amusing pastime! And it resulted in these five kinda cracky character snippets.  
> I’d apologize, but I’m not even remotely sorry. >:D
> 
> I’m also not sure how I managed to write two codas for episode 1… Am I going to become a _productive_ writer??? I don’t know how to deal with this. :o

### Rick

Lately, Rick had been carrying a worrying amount of hero worship for one Gordon Katsumoto. He would have thought the feeling would dim after the man had confiscated his precious Betty without a hint of sympathy. But no… 

Gordon had done a lot for him during the whole disaster with Icepick. And it hadn’t stopped there. Now he went and brought him _lunch_. Rick had to admit he was melting a little on the inside. 

This might become a problem. Gordon hadn’t said anything about his “you’re a prince among men” slip of the tongue—yet. But who knew for how much longer? Rick wasn’t sure if he was imagining the calculating look on Gordon’s face during his so-called check-ins. 

Maybe he was just getting paranoid, though. All because that stupid phrase was running on repeat in the back of his mind. If _he_ couldn’t stop thinking about it, what were the chances that Gordon had dismissed it as simple “Rick theatrics”? 

It was hard to let it go, though. Gordon had yet to do something undeserving of that assessment. Case in point: He seemed to know all of Rick’s lunch favorites. If he kept up being so charming, Rick might forget himself and do something outrageous—like go and hug the guy. Or something even worse… 

Ugh… All right. He needed a plan! There _had_ to be a way to unearth a less than perfect part of Gordon. Could he perhaps provoke him enough to make him snap at him? 

No. Bad idea! That would only make Gordon think less of _Rick_ , not the other way around. Gordon might even decide that Rick hadn’t been worth all the strings he’d pulled for him. And that wouldn’t do at all.

For some inexplicable reason, he very much wanted Gordon’s approval, these days. Which showed just how far down the rabbit hole he’d already gone. Would he ever be able to crawl out of it again? How long should he try before giving up? Or should he try dragging Gordon into it, as well?

Hmmm, that analogy was getting away from him, wasn’t it? And he wasn’t any nearer to finding a solution to his problem.

He was so screwed!

### T.C.

T.C. might be freaking out a little. 

They had pretty much adopted Jul— Higgins into their little ohana, a while ago, now. T.C. himself had considered her a close friend for months. Close enough to have agreed to get fake-married to her. 

He’d been kind of relieved when that didn’t happen, though. It might have screwed up their group dynamics, after all. This way, he could just keep basking in having three and a half best friends and loving them all equally much. 

But then Ju— _Higgins_ got shot.

Which was part of the reason why he might be freaking out a little right now. Because his other friends had gotten shot before—been in worse condition than her even—and he’d never felt that terrified for _them_. 

He’d hidden his reaction well, he thought. Nobody seemed to suspect a thing, at least. Which was good. Because J— _Damn it!_ Because Higgins was planning on going out with her doc, of all people.

That had surprised him, actually. It wasn’t the guy he’d have expected her to go for if she wanted to date anyone at all. He’d have had his money on Thomas for sure, as a fellow rejected fake-husband. As her partner (in crime). The most logical choice, in his opinion. 

But maybe that was exactly why she _didn’t_ choose Thomas. Could be that she had the same hang-ups about dating inside their group as T.C. himself had. 

So, where did that leave _him_? Chances were that he had no chance at all. Which was unfortunate. It meant he’d have to find a way to get over his new feelings, somehow. 

No idea how he would do that, though. He’d dug a hole for himself with his little offhand declaration. He’d said it half in jest since her enthusiasm for pretty much anything—the jelly, the drugs, the doc—had been amusingly adorable. He’d only realized how much he actually _meant_ it after he’d said it. And then it had been too late. He couldn’t make the thought disappear anymore.

It would be hard to pretend that nothing had changed and even harder to convince himself to let it go. T.C. could only hope that… _Higgins_ would never notice.

### Gordon 

Rick was behaving strangely, and Gordon wasn’t sure why. He’d been pretty docile ever since the Icepick incident. Of course, that could be because he’d learned his lesson, but considering who he was friends with… 

Maybe it was temporary. Or maybe Rick was gearing up for something. He _had_ given up trying to get Betty back with suspiciously little protest. Gordon wondered what his angle was, here. 

On the other hand, it seemed like Rick was increasingly happy to see him whenever he checked in on his community service. Gordon would have thought he’d start chafing under the “constant monitoring,” but apparently, that wasn’t the case. Was Rick really _that_ thankful for not having ended up in prison? And was it likely for his gratitude to grow stronger instead of lessening over time? 

Why did he care anyway? It shouldn’t matter to him as much as it did. This was _Rick_ , after all. One of Magnum’s slightly insane friends, who all had a penchant for driving Gordon to desperation with their lack of regard for the rules. 

Then he remembered the way Rick’s praise for getting him lunch had made his heart skip a beat. _Oh!_ Well… he’d successfully suppressed _that_ memory in the chaos that had followed. 

Now though… He couldn’t stop wondering what it said about himself that even just thinking back to that scene raised a feeling of anticipation in him. 

That couldn’t be good, could it? Was just spending time with these people skewing his sense of danger? Was he becoming like them? Just as reckless and happy when they approved? 

Because he was feeling plenty reckless as he considered making Rick that grateful again, to see if he’d continue to get praised. If he’d react the same way to it, then, too. 

He hadn’t been prone to experimenting like that before getting to know these guys. Had someone told him he’d ever be, as little as a year ago, he’d have laughed himself silly. But he was very close to just not caring anymore. He wouldn’t be able to avoid Magnum and his entourage on this tiny island. Might as well embrace the craziness. Right? 

As contrary as it sounded, it would be better for his sanity in the long run.

### Juliet

The last few days had been pretty weird.

First, she got shot on a case. Then her doc turned out to be one hell of a specimen—probably the drugs talking, she’d thought at the time. _Then_ the doc turned out not only to look rather pretty but actually be really nice. Considerate. Attentive. And just a bit flirty. She loved it. She encouraged it, even, as it distracted her from other, much more complicated feelings. 

Things had been slightly off between her and Magnum, ever since the whole marriage… dare she call it “debacle”? Close enough, she guessed. She hadn’t figured out yet if Magnum was relieved or disappointed that the original plan to keep her in Hawaii had fallen through. His behavior around her wasn’t consistent enough to tell. But hey, maybe he was just taking cues from her. _She_ wasn’t sure how she felt about it, either, after all. Might all just be a vicious cycle. And it hadn’t helped that she’d almost ended up married to T.C. instead.

So she’d embraced the flirtation with Ethan. It had felt like a great idea to just start over with a new guy. Get some distance and a fresh perspective. Easy, right?

And then T.C. had gone and told her he loved her. She was _certain_ it was said with fondness, first and foremost. A thing you told friends. Nothing more. 

But that smile… 

That smile had made something warm bloom inside her. And now she was confused. Because instead of getting to start over, she suddenly had _three_ guys on her mind. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

The trouble was that she didn’t know how to choose. It should be a no-brainer: Avoid the guys who were practically family by now—because that could get messy. But she was also aware that her attraction to Ethan was superficial at best. What did she know about him anyway? 

It suddenly felt like a lot of effort to get to know him well enough for something deeper to form. Especially since she’d already reached that point with… two other guys. But only one of _those_ came with all the fuzzy feelings and no constant aggravation.

She’d never seen T.C. in a romantic light before, not even when she’d been _this_ close to marrying him. But now… Now she could think of little else.

### Thomas 

His friends had gone crazy! 

There was no other way to explain what Thomas had witnessed over the last few days. Utterly cuckoo, the lot of them! 

Did they think he wouldn’t see the way they were eyeing each other? _Please!_ He was a P.I.—he was observant. Kinda had to be, to solve all his cases… 

So, of course, he had noticed them all but pairing up, making him feel like the fifth wheel on occasion. How had he ended up being the odd man out anyway? 

He’d thought he’d be able to rely on T.C.’s company when Higgins suddenly got interested in her doc, and when Rick and Gordon were becoming oddly chummy. But, no! Apparently, the doc wasn’t enough for Higgins. So T.C. was unavailable to him now. 

What had gotten into all of them? It was as if someone had sicced a cupid on them or something.

Did that sound jealous? He wasn’t jealous. No, _really_! It just sucked to realize he’d kinda been left behind. For someone so used to being in the thick of things, that wasn’t easy to come to terms with.

He needed a distraction. Might be a good idea to hit the city and see what’d catch his eye… 

What ended up catching his eye, about half an hour later, was an unexpected but familiar face.

“Heeey, long time no see!” Jin called across the street, waiting for a gap in the traffic to come over. 

Oh! _There_ was a thought! Jin seemed genuinely happy to see him. A little squirrely, maybe—as if he was about to ask a favor again. But genuinely happy, anyway. And, as far as Thomas knew, still very much interested in befriending him. Perfect! 

Decision made, he waited until Jin was standing right next to him before returning his greeting. “Hey there! Want to grab a coffee while you tell me all about what you’ve been up to lately?” 

The grin forming on Jin’s face was positively ecstatic. That should worry him, but for some reckless reason, it didn’t. 

There was most likely trouble in store for him, Thomas knew. But at least he’d have company, and he wouldn’t be bored. It would be worth it, he was sure. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, famous last words? :P
> 
> Well, I’m a _little_ sorry about the part with Jin here. But I just couldn’t help myself. It’s an in-joke between DaniDubskia and me. After the discussions we had in November, the guy was simply the first to pop into my mind when I wondered who to pair Magnum with so he wouldn’t keep feeling like the fifth wheel. ;)
> 
> My inner rebel is very happy right now. :D


	3. Episode 2 - Take 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the day’s tumultuous events, Thomas tries to make sense of his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are references to the first chapter in this follow-up. Depending on how the next episodes go (if they actively contradict anything I’ve already written or not, that is), chances are that I’ll keep all “serious” codas connected to each other. 
> 
> On the other hand—since this episode hasn’t managed to disabuse me of my crack pairings yet—I might keep continuing that storyline as well, just so that this whole thing won’t get too angsty. ;)

Thomas sat on his bed that night, deep in thought. There were so many things going on right now that he didn’t know what to deal with first.

The worst thing, of course, was the tail they’d somehow acquired. Not much he could do about that right now, though. If he tried to figure out what was going on there, with how little he knew, he’d only manage to make himself panic. It’d be better to talk to Higgy tomorrow. See if she had some insight. At the very least, she’d be able to keep his speculations from becoming too dark before they had something more concrete to go on.

Yeah, it’d be best to think of something else for the moment… 

Which left Higgy herself. All the other confusing things on his mind had to do with her, after all.

He caught himself staring at his watch. That was… he didn’t even know how to describe how having it back made him feel. He’d been fully prepared to get it back on his own. Had known it’d be hard—but a lot could happen in three weeks. He’d have found a way. It had felt like he owed that much to Higgy, at least, considering the circumstances.

To learn that the watch was gone… He’d had a hard time keeping his devastation from showing on his face. It had been like losing his father all over again.

But he had it back now. Because Higgy had gone and got it for him. Despite not swimming in money herself. Despite having groused about him not pulling his weight so often in the past. He felt like he didn’t deserve that much kindness. She had waved it off, had told him he’d already repaid her. But he wasn’t so sure about that. With how much the watch meant to him, “just” having someone’s back when they were in danger didn’t come even close to being enough. 

He’d have to find a way to show her just how grateful he was. Probably not with money, though. With their job having ended the way it did, that option was pretty much out. But it’d have to be something suitably grand. For more than one reason.

Because lately, it felt like she was slipping away from him, and he didn’t know how to deal with that. Gordon had asked him if he was jealous, and he’d denied it. It had only been a half-truth, but not for the reason Gordon had implied. 

She’d become a constant in his life, which was why he’d fought so hard to keep her in Hawaii. He didn’t deal so well with changes. So he certainly didn’t want to lose another friend. 

And as irrational and selfish as he knew it sounded… He worried that her dating someone would mean she’d have less time for _him_. That she wouldn’t be around as often, just so that she could spend more time with Ethan.

He was very obviously getting ahead of himself there, though. With her own doubts about going forward, who knew if she wouldn’t keep self-sabotaging? He understood that impulse a little too well. Neither of them had had much luck with love in the past. And now, if something looked and sounded good, they were instantly suspicious.

So her thing with Ethan might not go anywhere, and then Thomas wouldn’t have to worry about their closeness fading anymore. But—and this was a _big_ but—he’d meant it when he’d said he was happy for her. She’d been smiling more often, despite still being injured. It had lifted his own spirits to see her like that. Because he was happiest when his friends were happy.

Her good mood had only dimmed after her date had apparently gone a little too well. And so she had started following him on his little downwards spiral. _He_ hadn’t been able to fully enjoy her newfound cheer because he worried it’d end up being at his expense. _She_ hadn’t been able to fully embrace her budding relationship because she kept expecting it to end badly. As if they both were eager to see the other shoe drop. What a mess!

He’d been honestly surprised and even a little appalled when Higgy had wanted to get a background check on Ethan herself. And then he’d had to call himself a hypocrite—because where was the difference between him asking Gordon and her asking Kumu? Their motivation was the same, after all. It was a good helping of “hope for the best but prepare for the worst”—all the while kind of _expecting_ something bad to turn up. Just so that they could tell themselves, “I told you so”…

Then again, Kumu couldn’t have discovered anything too incriminating. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be that second date. Right? 

Damn it! Now he wanted to know what Kumu had found out. Gordon hadn’t given him an update yet—not that he blamed the man for maybe stalling a bit. But he wondered if the two reports would end up matching.

… He _was_ taking his worries a little too far, didn’t he? He wished he wouldn’t, but it was hard to silence that part of him.

Well, he decided, that’s it! Time to let things rest for a while. 

If he kept sitting here, overanalyzing the last few hours, he wouldn’t get enough sleep, and then he’d be all crabby tomo— oh… later today, apparently. As if triggered by that realization, his eyelids were suddenly very heavy.

He was asleep within seconds.


	4. Episode 2 - Take 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick teases T.C. about Higgins. It kinda backfires on him. He should have seen that coming, though.
> 
> (this continues Episode 1 - Take 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it still _before_ episode 3 airs? XD  
> That was the goal, at least. I hope I made it in time. ;)

Rick let himself fall into the seat across from T.C. and sighed pointedly. T.C. knew what he was trying to achieve with that and decided not to indulge him. If he wanted to know something, he’d have to ask. 

Knowing Rick, this could be about any number of things anyway. If T.C. tried to guess, chances were he’d miss the mark. Not that that would truly bother Rick. He’d just talk about whatever T.C. had thought he’d wanted to talk about _and_ the thing he’d come to him for.

“You never told me,” Rick said when it became clear that his sigh wouldn’t get a response.

“Huh?” That still didn’t give T.C. anything to work with. “Told you what?”

“About you and Higgy.”

Now, T.C. was confused. His current, slightly chaotic feelings aside, he didn’t think he had acted so out of character that someone could have noticed. And even _if_ … Rick made it sound like he thought there was something mutual going on. Which was absurd, of course.

“What’s there to tell?”

“You’ve obviously grown close enough to talk about things nobody else knew about her. Like her piloting skills.”

_That_ was what Rick was basing his hypothesis on? Really? 

“So? We’re friends. Friends talk. It’s not like I knew I was the only one she told. Didn’t sound like a secret to me anyway.”

“Then why didn’t you tell m— us?”

T.C. couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow at that fumbled question. _Me_ , huh? Rick hadn’t covered that slip of the tongue quite as well as he’d probably meant to. His curiosity must be getting the better of him, and he didn’t like being kept in the dark. T.C. had to admit that amused him a little.

“Because—as we pointed out—it never came up. Also, word of advice? If you want to get to know her better than you already do, go talk to her yourself. Because even though this wasn’t supposed to be a secret, I don’t tend to gossip. So don’t look at me as a source for intel.”

Rick blinked at him, obviously caught by surprise. It was too bad, then, that he recovered within seconds.

“Ohhh, touchy! And so adamant that there’s nothing to see here,” he teased. “But are you _sure_? You’ve got to admit that the two of you seem pretty close all of a sudden. Feels like bad timing to me, though. Got competition now.”

“I really don’t wanna know what’s going on in your head sometimes… Me and Higgy being close may seem sudden to _you_ , but it isn’t to either of us. You just missed it happening because you didn’t pay attention.” Rick’s answering pout made T.C. grin. “Besides, you’re one to talk about sudden closeness. Want to tell me who your heart eyes were for, earlier? Betty or Gordon?”

Rick choked on his beer. “The _hell_?”

“You wanna deny it? Go ahead. I won’t believe you, though. You looked like the happiest guy on earth there, for a moment.”

Oh, yes! Being on _this_ side of the discussion definitely felt better. Turnabout was fair play, wasn’t it? And Rick’s comparatively fair skin making his blush stand out like that was an unexpected bonus.

The continued spluttering was less adorable. T.C. shifted his chair a little to the side to get out of range.

“If I had heart eyes _at all_ , they were only for Betty,” Rick wheezed but didn’t meet T.C.’s eyes. 

And… wow! He’d mostly been joking, but that reaction meant he must have accidentally landed a hit.

“Right, of course. What was I thinking? A guy temporarily returning something to you _that he took from you in the first place_ would never make you that grateful.”

Rick groaned, dragging his hands down his face in defeat.

“I _know_. It’s not rational at all. But I couldn’t help it. What do I do now?” he all but whined.

“Eh, don’t ask me. I have no clue either. You should probably decide if you want it to stop or continue, first.”

“Ugh, neither option sounds appealing.”

“God, you’re hopeless,” T.C. snorted. “Please don’t drag me into your drama.”

“Some friend you are!”

“The best,” T.C. grinned at him. “Which is why I’ll let you figure this out on your own. That way, my opinions can’t influence your decisions.”

“You think it’s a bad idea to let it continue, don’t you?” Now, Rick sounded almost despondent.

“Drama queen! Seriously. And don’t put words in my mouth. At most, I’m utterly confused about how you got invested like this in the first place.”

“That makes two of us.”

Hearing that, T.C. was beginning to feel sorry for Rick, which meant it was time to end this evening.

“All right, I have _one_ serious suggestion for you: Sleep on it! It was a long day, and things were dicey for a while there. No wonder you can’t think all that clearly. So try to reason it out again when you’re rested.”

“I hate that you’re making sense.”

“Hah! Sounds like things are slowly getting back to normal, then.”

“Fuck you.”

“No, thanks. And that’s my cue to leave. You know, before you start propositioning me in earnest.” Ignoring Rick’s grumbled curses, T.C. got up and patted his shoulder. “Good night, my friend.”

As he left, he heard Rick’s forehead connect with the table. It made him grin to himself. 

While he really didn’t want to be dragged into the drama, it might be amusing to watch from a safe distance. The next few days—hell, maybe even weeks—might be quite entertaining. He was looking forward to _that_ , at least.


End file.
